NATIONAL VIDEO

Police station could transform into hotel and office buildings

GAINESVILLE — Gainesville could earn at least $2 million if the City Council approves a proposed Midtown development.

City View Plaza LLC has plans to purchase the city’s public safety building to build a 13-story hotel and two 11-story office buildings. The development has already been given the go-ahead by the planning and appeals board, and the City Council is scheduled to review the zoning issue in February.

City View’s plans to buy the property hinge on the council’s approval of the proposed development, according to Gainesville City Manager Bryan Shuler.

If the City Council does approve the request to rezone 5.46 acres in Midtown from general business to planned unit development, City View Plaza LLC could change the landscape of the city’s center.

Along with the two proposed high-rise buildings, the developer plans to build an enclosed pedestrian walkway over Jesse Jewell Parkway to the Georgia Mountains Center.

The development also includes 8,000 square feet of retail space, a 5,000-square-foot conference area and 995 parking spaces on a block surrounded by Jesse Jewell Parkway, Bradford Street, College Avenue and Townview Plaza.

Early in December, the Gainesville City Council voted to give control of the sale of the city’s public safety building over to the Redevelopment Authority. In the agreement, the city required that the Redevelopment Authority sell the property for at least $2 million, Shuler said. Once the property is sold, the city has the option to continue using the property until June 2010, which would give them enough time to locate or build a new building to house the police department and other public safety personnel.

Gainesville’s Planning and Appeals Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend approval of the hotel development to the Gainesville City Council.